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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · degree · swing · toast · mug · season · roll · stick

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — a face
  10. roll — a list
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mug — to rob
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. degree — an amount
  21. season — in sport
  22. mug — a cup
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com